Herbert is hunting for new No. 2

It might as well have been "Guess-the-new-Lieutenant-Governor Day" on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Sure, lawmakers held interim meetings and even a special session of the Legislature to deal with some technical budget fixes. Plus there was a major political announcement on the Capitol steps and a conservative rally in the Rotunda.

But what everyone was talking about was whom Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert will pick to be his No. 2 when he takes over for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. in the coming weeks.

Huntsman, who has been named ambassador to China by President Barack Obama, announced Monday he'll resign as soon as he is confirmed by the U.S. Senate, a process that could take weeks.

Herbert told the Deseret News Wednesday his intent is to wait until he becomes governor before naming his new lieutenant governor. In the next couple of weeks, he said, he hopes to have a final list of two or three candidates.

"This will be the first time where the buck stops with me," he said. "I can tell you there are a number, a large number, of good men and women that will be under consideration for the No. 2 spot. I can tell you of all the decisions I am going to make, there will be none more important than lieutenant governor."

And although Herbert said he has yet to actually talk with anyone about the job — and isn't ready to name names — he's already hearing plenty about what he should do.

"I'm getting a lot of recommendations from people, most of it unsolicited. I do know there's a lot of speculation," Herbert said.

Some are saying his second-in-command should be more conservative. Or more moderate. Maybe a woman. Or an African-American. Possibly someone wealthy, so that person — as 2004 candidate Nolan Karras did with Enid Greene — can put some of their own money into Herbert's re-election bid.

But definitely not from Utah County, where Herbert served as a county commissioner and still lives. Better for him to look north, in Salt Lake and Davis counties, or south to Washington County.

"If I made a list of all the things you ought to think about, I'm sure all those would be on the list. I don't know if they would be at the top," Herbert said. "I want to pick someone who is an asset….I don't want somebody who's just going to be a figurehead for political purposes."

Under a recently adopted amendment to the Utah Constitution, Herbert has to run in the next general election, in 2010, for the remainder of Huntsman's term. There will be another election in 2012.

He's already facing several potential challengers, including Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, who said he'll give Herbert a chance to prove himself as governor before deciding whether to run against him next year.